Preparing for Duty
by livsgirl
Summary: The thoughts that goes through Olivia's head as she prepares for duty.


**A/N: I have read a few stories from Alex's point of view when Olivia was preparing for work and her thoughts. I decided to switch it around and put it from Olivia's point of view. The things that goes through our head as we prepare for duty.**

* * *

Olivia rolled over and turned the blaring alarm off before it woke her wife, Alexander Cabot. She stretched as she slowly opened her eyes and allowed them to adjust to the darkness. She always made sure she was awake before Alex even if it was for five minutes.

Once she could see in the darkness she rolled back over and pulled Alex tight against her. A smiled tweaked her lips when she felt Alex snuggle in closer and sigh. It was amazing that after six years together the effect she still had on Olivia.

Olivia gently ran her hands through Alex's long flowing blonde hair. It felt like silk running through her fingers. She followed that up with tracing the outline of Alex's features with a feather light touch so not to wake her sleeping beauty. To watch her it would appear as if Olivia was memorizing every inch of Alex's face. Which in truth was exactly what she was doing, something she did every morning before preparing for work. She wanted, no needed, to know every new laugh line onher face in case anything should happen to her on the job.

Gently she kissed Alex's forehead before extracting herself from the blonde and heading for the shower. Olivia never wanted Alex awake when she showered before work. This was for several reasons. The main reason being that they would both be late for work if Alex would interrupt and join her in the shower. She knew this for a fact since it had occurred on a number of occasions. The second and most important reason was because she didn't want Alex to see the fear and uncertainty that would always cross her mind.

The fear and uncertainty was a combination of things. One being what type of despicable crimes against humanity she would see that day. Just when she thought it couldn't get any worse a crime would come along that would prove her wrong. It still amazed her after eight years with the 1-6 Special Victims Unit how one person could do such horrible things to another.

The other being the danger her job brought and had always brought. She knew that when she walked out that morning there was always a chance that she wouldn't come home that night. A chance that never bothered her until she asked Alex to marry her, since then it seemed to weigh more and more on her mind. Because of that chance, every morning in the shower she would run a check list through her head.

_Was all the paperwork up to date and where Alex or Elliot could access if need be?_

_Did she have all her affairs in order? Would Alex have to worry about setting anything up if anything should happen?_

_Was all the bills and passwords where Alex could locate them if something should happen?_

_Did she have enough life insurance to assist Alex, even though Alex didn't need the money?_

_Most importantly had she done everything she could to make sure Alex knew she loved her?_

As Olivia turned the shower off she could hear movement outside the door letting her know that Alex was awake and more than likely waiting for her with a cup of coffee. She dressed as quickly as she could and ran her fingers through her short hair. Taking one last look in the mirror to make sure all thoughts was masked so not to worry Alex she exited the bathroom.

"Good morning love." Alex said her voice still full of sleep as she handed Olivia a cup of coffee.

"Morning beautiful." Olivia husked out as she pulled Alex to her kissing her with everything she had only breaking the kiss because her lungs burned with a need for oxygen.

"What time will Elliot be here?" Alex asked tousling Olivia's hair.

"In about twenty minutes."

"Mmh" Alex said as she situated herself on the bed to watch Olivia finish getting ready.

Olivia smiled as she started the only thing that was routine in her job, getting ready to start the day. She slid her black leather belt through the first few loops before looping them through her hand cuff case and continuing on. As she reached her right side she grabbed her holster and extra magazine holder and secured them on her belt as well before tightening the belt. Once that was completed she pulled her handcuffs from the pouch and *running them a few cycles* to make sure they were in good working order. That was always followed with checking to make sure her magazines were fully loaded and her gun in top operating condition. Her final act of preparing for work was clipping her badge on her left side.

Olivia felt her throat tighten as she looked up and caught those crystal blue eyes. This was probably the hardest part of her day. Leaving home not knowing if she would ever come home. It was because of that fact that any argument they may be engaged in, not that there was ever a lot of them, always ended at least ten minutes prior to her leaving. There was never a word spoken out of anger before duty. Too many times they had seen officers fight with their spouse only not to make it home that night. There was no reminder of things that needed to be done or that wasn't done. Those last few minutes were just them telling each other in their own way how they felt.

"Sounds like Stabler is here?" Alex said hearing the offending horn blowing in the distance.

"Yeah." Olivia said as she opened her arms for Alex to enter them. She held her tight against her wishing there was truly a way to become one.

Olivia opened the door as she put her jacket on. Taking one last look at Alex before closing the door.

"See you tonight beautiful." Olivia whispered as she shut the door silently praying that the gods was on her side for one more day so that would ring true.


End file.
